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Richard's self-help can't counteract rough start

Left-hander chips in with RBI single; allows five runs on seven hits in 6 2/3 frames

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Outlook: Richard, SP, SD 0:51

Clayton Richard's low K rate is alarming but the control is there and he should benefit from playing in Petco and the defense behind him

By Corey Brock
/
MLB.com |

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Edwin Jackson allowed one run over six innings Monday and Dave Sappelt hit a three-run home run as the Cubs defeated the Padres, 5-2, at the Peoria Sports Complex.

Jackson allowed one run on three hits with one walk and three strikeouts, as he won his first game of the spring. Jackson, who agreed to a four-year, $52 million deal with the Cubs in January, was also pursued by the Padres during this past offseason.

San Diego pitcher Clayton Richard allowed one run over the first three innings before allowing the three-run shot in the fifth inning to Sappelt. It was Sappelt's third home run of the spring.

Richard allowed five runs on seven hits with no walks and four strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings. It was his longest start of the spring and the longest outing by any Padres pitcher.

The Cubs (11-14) took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning when Darnell McDonald singled and stole second base. He advanced to third base on a ground ball to the right side and then scored on a groundout by Javier Baez.

First baseman Brent Lillibridge had two hits for the Cubs, including a triple to start the seventh inning. He scored on an Alberto Gonzalez sacrifice fly to make it 5-1.

The Padres (12-13) got two hits from leadoff hitter Everth Cabrera and an RBI single by Richard in the fifth inning. It was Richard's first hit of the spring.

Padres Up Next: Left-hander Eric Stults will start Tuesday for the Padres at 1:05 p.m. in a game against the D-backs at Salt River Fields. Stults, who will likely be the No. 4 starter in the rotation, has a 10.29 ERA in three games this spring. That didn't count a start Stults made last week against a week ago against the Netherlands, when he allowed two run in four innings and threw 74 pitches -- the most of any Padres pitcher in a game this spring.

Corey Brock is a reporter for MLB.com. Keep track of @FollowThePadres on Twitter. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.